Secondary battery.



J. 0. LUTHY.

SECONDARY BATTERY.

APPLICATION FILED IULY |914.

` Patented Mar. 28, 1916.

WAX

` showing a double grid; and Fig. 4 is aviewn similar to that shown in Fig. 1, showing a I citizen of the Republic of Switzerland,

JOSEPH O. LUTHY, F SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.

SECONDARY BATTERY.

y.maaar/o.

speci/deacon of Letter Patent.

Patented Mar. 28, 1916.

Application and :any 7, 1914. serial No. 849,388.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOSEPH O. LUTHY,-a

residing in the city of San Antonio, in the county of Bexar and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improve* ments in Secondary Batteries; and I do v hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as Willenable others skilled in the art to which it app'ertains to make and use the same.

l The invention relates to storage batteries, more particularly to the construction of storage battery cells of the so-called dry type, in which the electrolyte surrounding the plates or'electrodes ,is in the form of a paste.

The object of the invention is to provide a storage battery of the character indicated, which issimple in construction, comparatively light in Weight, durable in operation, not liable to injury or deterioration, and that can be economically and effectively applied in substitution of the ordinary dry primary batteries, with the essentialditlerences from. the latter, namely, that it may be recharged repeatedly at small expense, that upon discharge it will deliver a steady voltage much higher than that of the primary battery, and that for the same capacity, it" will weigh considerably less than such primary battery.

1 Typical forms of the improved storage or secondarybattery are illustrated in the aocompanying drawings, in'which:-

- Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a twoplate battery or cell; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one of the grids which'supports the active material; Fig. 3 .is a similar view battery vhaving multiple compartments or cells included Within a single casing.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, 1 indicates an inner receptacle, preferably forrned as a water-tightacid-proof vessel, the walls of which are made of thin celluloid or like material, which receptacle fits snugly within an outer envelop 2, which is preferably made of some llght materlal,

. such as paper, paste-board, or other compressed ibrous material, which may be shaped or molded to the desired form. The inner and outer vessels 1 and 2 are sepa-- rable, so that if either of them becomes damaged it may be replaced by another, without discarding the entire jar or container. Within the jar or container is mountedo a pair of plates or electrodes 3, which contain the active material, which may be of any appropriate character and which is preferably formed to constitute the positive and negative elements of the storage battery before being assembled in the cell. The active material is supported in each plate 3 by means of a light grid 5, which is preferably formed of lead either by casting or compressing. These grids 5 may be made much lighter than those ordinarily employed, and preferably take the form indicated in Fig. 2, in which the outer framework is formed integrally with diametrical and diagonal cross bars which define relatively large spaces within which the active material is compressed. Formed integrally with one upper corner of the grid 5 is a post 46 having a terminal 7, and provided With annular collars 8, for a purpose to be hereinafter described. As indicated, two of the grids 5, lilled with suitable active materials, are supported and spaced apart within the jar, formed by the inner receptacle 1 and outerl envelop 2, and surrounded by the electrolyte, which is made in the form of a relatively soft 4but consistent paste 10, preferably consisting of plaster-of-Paris mixed with sulfuric acid and Water, said paste electrolyte being packed around the electrodes Within the container to a height sufficient to fully cover the active parts of the plates or electrodes, as indicated in Fig. 1. Above the paste, there is placed a layer of charcoal or other suitable porous material. A small tube 13, formed of paper, pasteboard or the like coated and impregnated with paraffin or other acid-resisting ma-4 terial and having a series of lateral openings 14l in its lower portion, is located centrally' the like 12, which sets and hardens when cold and affords a sealing 'medium forthe jar, and also serves to rigidly support the electrodes or plates 3 and the tube 13. It will be noted that the flanges or collars 8 on the posts 6 of the grids, are securely in-v terlocked within the body of the hardened sealing material 12,l so that all tendency of the'plates-or electrodes to become displaced, is obviated. It is also to be noted that the paste 10 completely fills the interior of the jar below the layer of porousmaterial 14, and surrounds and embeds the plates or electrodes 3, thereby serving to hold the active material of the plates in the grids supporting thesameand eectively preventing the separation and disruption of the active material, which is a serious diiiculty. characteristic of many of the old types of storage battery plates?.

As heretofore indicated, theV plates or electrode'scan be formed or charged before being placed in the cell, so that when the latter has been completely assembled, as described, it is ready for use. When the battery or cell has discharged or run down and requires recharging, all that is necessary to be donel is to supply the necessary quantity of water to the cell through the tube 13, and to connect the terminals 7 with a charging circuit which is capable of delivering at least twoand one-half volts per cell with a current of three-tenths to one-half an ampere for each weight of the plates and the expense of mancell, of substantially the same capacity 'as an ordinary dry primary cell. These cells will be completely .recharged in approximately twenty-four hours, after which the remaining water is discharged byv reversing the cell andpermitting it to run outof the tube 13, after which the cell is ready for a further period of use. 1

In the old types of cells heretofore employed, it is customary to construct the grids for supporting the active material of, the plates of heavy masses of lead, so disposed as to lock and confine the active material in place, thereby greatly increasing the ufacturing the same, but without 4wholly obviating the difiiculty of the active material breaking away and becoming separated from the grids; due to contraction and' expansion..

According to the present invention, however, the grids are made very light, each being in effect a mere skeleton framework suflicient to support the active material and to conduct the current generated, and whenvthe active material has been applied to the -grids and the formed plates embedded in the electrolytepaste 10, the latter serves to prevent, in a large measure, any breaking away or separation of the active material from the grids. Moreover, the skeleton-like form of the grids admits of relatively larger proportiens of active material being applied thereto than has been possible heretofore, thereby increasing the .capacity of the` cells. In

order to still further reduce thenweight 'ofthe improved battery per unit or cell, and to render the same available for use 1n selfcontained sets of multiple cells, it has been found-of advantage to inclose several cells within a single outer container orenvelop, as indicated in Fig. 4. To obvia-te the neces sity of the separate externalconnections between the electrodes of adjacent'cells, such i electrodes have been formed by constructing the grids thereof integrally in pairs, as 1n-l bent in U form, so that the grids .are parallel with each other. In constructing a battery of multiple cells, according to this principle,

the outer envelop 2 is made vof suiiicient size to receive the desired number of separate inner containers 1, which are placed side byv side within the outer envelop, as indicated inV Fig. 4. The end plates, or electrodes 3 of the series of cells are constructed like the individ'ual plates or electrodes shown in Figs.

-1 and 2. The intermediate plates or elec'` trodes, hdwever, are of the double construction indicated by the grids in Fig. 4, and are so disposed that one of the plates is suse' pended in one cell, while the other plate is suspended in the next adjacent cell, the yoke# shaped strap or bar 6 extending 'from one i cell to the next through recesses cut in the' vupper portion of the-walls of the inner con- -tainers 1. After the plates or. electrodesl have been assembled in the .order indicated in- Fig. 4, each of the cells is filled tothe desired height with the electrolytic paste 10,

upon which is placed a layer of charcoal or the like, over which isrun a-layer o fta'r, pitch or other acid-resisting sealing material', which serves'to lock the electrodes in position and also to 'ix the vent and liquid supplying tubes 13 in proper relation. When so assembled, the battery comprises a number of cells or units, properly connected among themselves, with but two exposed electrodes, to wit, the outside electrodes at either end adapted to be connected with either .the charging circuit or with the circuit to be supplied by rthe battery, and all of the interior parts of the individual cells are supported and maintained in proper relation with each other, and are not subject to derangement' or displacement, but are capable of long continued, economical use.

What I claim is:-' .1. A storage battery comprising a container, positive and negative electrodesmounted therein, and a paste of plaster-of- Paris and sulfuric acid constituting'the electrolyte surrounding and embedding the electrodes within said container.

2. A dry storage battery eomprising elec-I In testimony whereof I aix my signature, trodes formed of relatively light open-Work in presence of two witnesses. grids filled with active material, a container in which said electrodes are carried, :and an JOSEPH 0' LUTHY 5 electrolyte paste of plaster-of-Paris and sul- Witnesses:

furie acid surrounding and supporting said YALE HICKS,

electrode Within said container. BRUCE W. TEAGARDEN. 

